Although Workers' Compensation in Missouri is set up to protect workers and allow them some compensation for medical costs and lost wages, it isn't always easy to obtain what you're entitled to.
If you're injured on the job in Missouri, you're entitled to:
:%$middot; Medical expenses - your employer should authorize treatment for your injuries
:%$middot; Temporary total disability (TTD) - you should receive weekly benefits of two-thirds of your wages if you're unable to work
:%$middot; Permanent total disability (PTD) - you're entitled to weekly benefits as long as you live
:%$middot; Permanent partial disability (PPD) - you're entitled to benefits if you're no longer able to perform necessary physical tasks
Not all employers are happy to cooperate and do their part for you to receive these benefits. And not all insurance companies are glad to make benefit payments.
Some situations where a lawyer is enormously helpful
1. Ensuring that you meet all deadlines in filing paperwork, or responding
2. Ensuring that you don't sign any documents which deprive you of any of your rights
3. Defending you if your employer wrongly claims that the injury didn't occur while you were "on the job". Perhaps you were traveling for company business. Maybe you were working at home for your employer. There are situations where a lawyer working against you can make it seem as if you're not entitled to Workers' Compensation benefits. You need your own Missouri Workers' Compensation attorney to protect you.
4. Supporting you if your employer is reluctant to authorize medical treatment. Perhaps your employer is stating that you're exaggerating your injury. Having your own Missouri Workers' Compensation attorney will straighten out that tangle, by bringing in medical experts who can testify on your behalf.
5. Defending you if your employer tries to retaliate against you for asserting your Workers' Compensation rights. Perhaps you find yourself demoted after a while, or even fired for some strange-sounding reason. Perhaps you're denied a promotion that was previously promised. In these kinds of situations, you need legal help to prevent retaliation.
6. Filing a lawsuit for you if there was another party responsible for your injury besides your employer. Even if the Workers' Compensation aspect goes as it should with your employer, there may not be enough compensation from that source to cover your medical costs and lost wages. If another party was negligent in contributing to your injury, you could potentially file a claim against them and obtain more redress than just Workers' Compensation.
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